Chapter 959: Old Friend Visits

A resounding boom! The crimson sea of flames that had engulfed Wang Changsheng suddenly erupted. Flames scattered, and countless blue fist shadows shot forth, raining down on Xia Houfeng.

Xia Houfeng snorted lightly, flicked his sleeve, and slapped his right palm into the air in front of him. A crimson fiery palm, over thirty meters wide, flew out.

The dense blue fist shadows shattered the crimson fiery palm, striking the red shield with a dull thud.

With a flash of blue light, a blue beam shot out from the crimson sea of flames, hurtling rapidly towards Xia Houfeng.

Xia Houfeng performed a hand seal, and three crimson flying daggers fiercely slashed at the blue light.

Clang, clang, clang! A series of metallic clashes rang out, and the three crimson flying daggers simultaneously recoiled.

The blue light appeared before Xia Houfeng, revealing Wang Changsheng, whose hands were adorned with a pair of gleaming golden gauntlets.

A fierce glint flashed in Wang Changsheng's eyes as his fists ignited with blinding golden light, smashing down towards the red shield.

Xia Houfeng was startled; a body cultivator getting this close meant serious trouble.

Countless red runes lit up on his body. After a blur, they coalesced into a crimson light barrier, its surface adorned with countless flame patterns.

It was the Fire Glaze Shield, a defensive spiritual art.

With a dull thud, Wang Changsheng's right fist struck the red shield. The shield quickly caved in, developing a large network of cracks, and its spiritual light flickered and dimmed.

Wang Changsheng opened his mouth, and a vast expanse of black flames shot out, enveloping the red shield. It was the Profound Nether Black Lotus Flame.

After many years of cultivation by Wang Changsheng, the power of the Profound Nether Black Lotus Flame had significantly increased.

The red shield, enveloped by the Profound Nether Black Lotus Flame, grew dim.

As Wang Changsheng's left fist also struck the red shield, the shield rapidly shattered into countless pieces.

His two gleaming golden fists then slammed into the crimson light barrier. The barrier couldn't withstand the impact for even a moment, instantly shattering, and both fists landed squarely on Xia Houfeng.

Xia Houfeng's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string. Mid-flight, he spat out a large mouthful of blood, his face turning ashen.

A flicker of surprise crossed Wang Changsheng's eyes. He hadn't expected Xia Houfeng to be so easily defeated.

"Could the rumors be true?"

Wang Changsheng mused to himself. After advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, he felt his physical strength and bodily resilience had more than tripled.

Nascent Soul cultivators from the Zhenhai Sect who practice the 'Kuisui True Scripture' did not experience such a dramatic increase in physical power and endurance upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Wang Changsheng had read in ancient texts that building a foundation with Earth Fiend Qi and forming a core with Heavenly Gang Qi led to significantly greater divine abilities upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Could this be the reason?

He had been skeptical before, but now he had no choice but to believe. Each of his punches now carried a force of 100,000 jin (50,000 kg), and with the amplification from the Mountain Sea Orb and his magical artifacts, ordinary defensive artifacts truly couldn't withstand them.

Of course, the Profound Nether Black Lotus Flame's power was also considerable.

It made sense. If there weren't immense benefits, why would the Taiyi Immortal Sect go to the trouble of refining the Vast Sky Mirror? Why would Meng Tianzheng, one of the Five Taiyi Prodigies, use Earth Fiend Qi for his foundation and Heavenly Gang Qi for his core? Was the Taiyi Immortal Sect incapable of providing Foundation Establishment Pills or Core Formation spiritual treasures? Clearly not.

Liu Gan's jaw dropped, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. In his estimation, even a body cultivator like Wang Changsheng shouldn't be able to shatter a defensive artifact with just two punches! It was utterly terrifying.

Wang Ruyan's face lit up with joy, and the heavy stone in her heart finally lifted.

Xia Houfeng finally stopped. His chest heaved, his aura was weak, and his face was pale, his eyes filled with terror. Had his defensive artifact and spiritual art not absorbed most of the force, he likely would have perished.

Seeing Wang Changsheng flying towards him, Xia Houfeng quickly exclaimed, "Stop! Fellow Daoist Wang, I surrender! I concede!"

From his mouth, a pair of gleaming red halberds flew out, circling him defensively, as if bracing for a formidable foe.

Though he had been in the Nascent Soul stage for many years, this was his first encounter with such a terrifying opponent. In his experience, only demon cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage possessed such immense strength, yet this person had so effortlessly destroyed the defensive artifact he had summoned.

Wang Changsheng's brow relaxed. On reflection, had this not been a mere sparring match, he might truly have killed Xia Houfeng. Xia Houfeng was a guest of the Wang family, having come to attend their Nascent Soul Ceremony. Killing him would not only tarnish Wang Changsheng's reputation but also surely provoke retaliation from Crocodile Island.

Wang Changsheng didn't wish to escalate the situation. He nodded and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Xia Hou, you were too generous."

Xia Houfeng must have had a purpose in proposing this sparring match. Due to the Sun and Moon Palace, Wang Changsheng dared not readily employ the true divine abilities of the Kuisui True Scripture. Thus, he had to rely solely on his formidable physical body, unwilling to reveal too much of his true strength.

"Haha! Fellow Daoist Wang possesses extraordinary divine abilities. No wonder your formation of the Nascent Soul triggered such a grand phenomenon!"

A hearty laugh suddenly echoed from the sky. As the words faded, a streak of red light appeared on the horizon.

The red light moved swiftly, and before long, it appeared before Wang Changsheng.

The red light resolved into an enormous crimson python. A group of cultivators stood upon its back, while True Person Fojiao, Gongsun Yang, stood atop its head, his long robe fluttering in the wind, exuding an air of otherworldly sagacity.

"It's True Person Fojiao from Ten Thousand Beast Island."

Liu Gan was slightly stunned. Ten Thousand Beast Island was one of the ten great sects of the South Sea, and True Person Fojiao was the undeniable choice for the next island master. For him to personally come to the Red Moon Sea to attend Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's Nascent Soul Ceremony? Could the Wang family be a pawn planted by Ten Thousand Beast Island in the Red Moon Sea?

Wang Ruyan smiled gracefully and said, "Fellow Daoist Gongsun, long time no see."

"Long time no see, Madam Wang. I heard you both formed your Nascent Souls, and I've come uninvited to beg for a cup of wine."

"Fellow Daoist Gongsun, you jest; there's no begging involved. Oh, someone else is arriving."

Wang Ruyan suddenly looked towards the distant horizon. A silver rainbow light had appeared in the sky, rapidly flying towards them.

Before long, the silver rainbow light halted, revealing itself to be an incredibly dazzling silver sword beam. A group of cultivators stood upon it, with Li Rui and Nangong Fu at the very front.

"Even the people from Ten Thousand Swords Sect have arrived."

Xia Houfeng was somewhat surprised, but after a moment's thought, he understood. The Zhang family was a vassal of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, and the Wang family had previously been a vassal of the Zhang family. It wasn't surprising for the Ten Thousand Swords Sect to send representatives.

Wang Changsheng was somewhat surprised to see Li Rui and Nangong Fu. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, Immortal Nangong, long time no see."

Li Rui and Nangong Fu had already formed their Nascent Souls, and outsiders referred to them as the 'Ten Thousand Swords Immortal Couple'.

As key cultivation targets of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, their cultivation levels were already higher than Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's, so it was only natural for them to have formed their Nascent Souls earlier.

"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Wang. We heard you two formed your Nascent Souls, and my wife and I came uninvited to beg for a cup of wine. You wouldn't turn us away, would you!"

Li Rui said with a smile. He and Nangong Fu had met Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan during their Foundation Establishment stage travels in the Eastern Wilderness. After forming their cores, they had occasionally encountered Wang Changsheng again. The Wang family was related by marriage to the Zhang family, which in turn was an affiliated force of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Most importantly, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's formation of Nascent Souls had triggered a phenomenon. In over ten thousand years, countless Nascent Soul cultivators had appeared in the South Sea, but fewer than ten had been able to cause such a phenomenon, and every one of them had left behind a legend in the cultivation world. Naturally, Li Rui would not take this lightly.

Cultivating immortality isn't solely about combat; interpersonal relationships are equally crucial.

Given their past acquaintance, their attendance at Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's Nascent Soul Ceremony was perfectly reasonable.

Wang Changsheng smiled and politely replied, "Fellow Daoist Li, you jest. We couldn't be more delighted that you're willing to attend our Nascent Soul Ceremony! Please, come in."